About

About Rudy reyes

In December of 1971 Rodolfo “Rudy” Reyes was born on Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base in Kansas City, Mo. The eldest of three sons, Rudy’s life would be one filled with obstacles and challenges that would continuously test his inner fortitude and physical strength. The first challenge began shortly after his birth when his father, a Marine, departed for Vietnam. At an early age, Rudy was far from physically blessed; he wore corrective shoes and braces on his legs to correct pigeon-toe until the age of two.

A pivotal moment in Rudy’s young life came at the age of three when his stepfather took him to see his first Bruce Lee movie. This film served as a catalyst; a life altering role model that inspired him to persevere throughout childhood to the present.

After his parents divorced in 1975, Rudy and his younger brothers were forced to bounce between various family members in Texas. Eventually, he and his brothers were brought back to Kansas City to live with his grandparents for next four years until they passed away in 1979. Again, Rudy and his brothers were forced to spend the next several years shuffling from relative to relative before he ended up at the Omaha Home for Boys. Truly alone, Rudy turned to athletics and quickly rose through the ranks to become the school’s wrestling champion. It was also at this time that he began studying Kung Fu and other martial arts under the instruction of a local YMCA sensei and mentor, as a way to emulate his role model, Bruce Lee.

Once 18, Reyes emancipated himself and took formal custody of his younger brothers in an effort to reunite his family. He worked various jobs while training as an MMA fighter, all to provide for his brothers in a harsh Kansas City, MO neighborhood riddled with bullies and drug dealers. His intensity, commitment and inner drive enabled him to attain the title of Midwest MMA Champion. His tenure on the Martial Arts circuit earned him 14 gold medals and four Wushu-Kung Fu Midwest Championships, as well as 10 Jing Woo International Grand Championships—an esteemed honor held by only one other American-born martial artist—Bruce Lee.

In 1998, at the age of twenty-six, Rudy’s desire to serve his country and honor the warrior in himself led him to enlist in the U.S. Marines (USMC). While at Parris Island, he received Honor Man and Iron Man status at both boot camp and the School of Infantry. Due to his fortitude and part luck, he was given the opportunity to try out for the Marine Force Reconnaissance. At that time, this elite commando division maintained only had six companies worldwide.

While the Marines consisted of more than 300,000 men, at that time, only 300 we able to claim the title Force Recon Marine. The schooling and attrition washed out over 90% of those who attended. The next few years were filled with schooling and training, and included Paratrooper Ops, Combatant Diving, Recon and Surveillance, Demolitions, Air Assault, Amphibious Insertions and the illustrious USMC Scout/ Sniper School. This was followed by years of additional training in Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape school.

On Sept 11 2001, while based in the Pacific, Rudy was called for his first combat reconnaissance mission; running Counter Sniper and Counter Recon Patrols in non-permissive Jacobabad, Pakistan. This was in preparation for USA's Special Ops insertion to Afghanistan. Once the Afghan War officially started, his team ran operations that located and destroyed Al Qaeda in the Khandahar Valley.

For his second war, Rudy alongside fellow Recon brothers from the illustrious 1st Recon Battalion led the invasion of Iraq. This mission would later be documented in the book Generation Kill, which became the HBO miniseries - Generation Kill.

His last war was by far the most horrific of anything he ever experienced. The Battles of Fallujah and Rahmadhi in 2004 and 2005 took every bit of discipline and fortitude that Rudy and his fellow marines could muster. As a the Senior Team Leader, Staff Sergeant of the Unit, Rudy was responsible for his team's lives in one of the "Most Dangerous Place in World” as reported by Time Magazine.

While many of his teammates came home, many others did not. For them, he knew that he must always honor his Veteran brothers and sisters no matter what service or theatre they served in.

At the end of his decorated military career, he embarked on a new career. He used his unique skills as a counter-terror contractor for the Department of Defense. He also spent time in Africa were he trained wildlife preserve rangers in anti-poaching tactics.

Today, Rudy is focused on acting and working with his brand partners. He also gives motivational speeches and utilizes his knowledge of fitness to train people during his down time.

Behind the eyes of a true warrior is a warrior's soul. Courage, a passion for life, commitment to help and protect those around him, empathy, a father, a brother, a leader and a teammate, and always humbled... this is Rudy Reyes.